The 'cruel censorship' of Turkmenistan

Even though Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov
announced two years ago the necessity of universal Internet access, the Web is
more than restricted in the country. This is connected to cruel official
censorship, the serious limitation of the availability and speed of Internet
connections in cities, and its total absence in villages. I haven't
even mentioned the high price of going online, the strict state monitoring of
the few public Internet cafes in the cities, and the widespread practice of
opening and inspecting instant messages and e-mails.

Journalists in Turkmenistan are persecuted for
making any independent statements. The fear of punishment stops them from
relying on the Internet as a trusted space for publishing their opinions. There
is also the problem of computer literacy among the population, which is low.

Tadzhigul Begmedova is
chairwoman of the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, based in Bulgaria.